


Caught in the Crossfire

by itisjosh



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Captivity, Crimes & Criminals, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gang Wars, M/M, Pet Names, Rivalry, Slowburn (kinda), Strangers to Lovers, clarke is also a badass, clarke is at the head of an organised crime ring, gang rivalry, lexa is just very unlucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21829060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Clarke has lived in the gang her entire life. She was born and raised in it, and after her mother retired, she took over.Lexa is a tired, unorganized college student who seems to have the absolute worst luck.Fate, of all things, happens to bind these two together, through very unfortunate circumstances.Will literal, complete, opposites manage to find love in each other, or will their lives come crashing down around them?
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/John Murphy, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Luna/Raven Reyes, Monty Green/Jasper Jordan, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 60
Kudos: 133





	1. I ain't ever gonna change

"Are you nervous?"

"No. Are _you_ nervous?"

"It's not like this is my first raid, Clarke. I know what I'm doing."

"I'm just making sure. It's my job to know these things," Clarke smiles, watching as Bellamy shifts from foot to foot. He's very obviously nervous, and it's almost cute to watch him pretend not to be. He also has no idea what he's doing, due to how the last time he almost got himself killed. Clarke _really_ is disappointed in him, considering how they grew up together, and Bellamy still hasn't managed to get himself under control. "Tell me the layout, again."

Bellamy sighs, tilting his head back. "We're going in thr-"

"I asked for the layout, Bell, not the plan." He stares at her for a second - a staring contest that she wins, obviously -, before he swallows.

"The front entrance is first. After that, there's the main room. It's used for gambling, drugs, and whores. To the right are the barracks, and to the left is their boss's office. Straight ahead of the main room is a hallway, that stretches on for about..ten yards," he pauses. Clarke just nods. "There are two rooms on the right, and three rooms on the left."

"There are two rooms on the left, and three rooms on the right." Clarke corrects.

"Right, three on the right, two on the left. The first one on the left is filled with gambling. The second one is a prostitute den. The first room on the right is a door to the exit, but not a lot of them know that. Second room is the boss's co-commander's place. Final room is a hazard zone. At the end of the hallway, there's a door that leads to an underground tunnel, and-"

"That's enough," she holds up a hand, cutting him off. "I'm glad you know the layout."

"Yeah, you fucking.." he grumbles, waves a hand. "Forced me to memorize it."

"I didn't force you to do anything," Clarke responds, rolling her eyes. "I just said that it would be a good idea to memorize it. You never know when we'll get split up, or if you end up getting kidnapped or something. Speaking of, how's Maya doing?"

Bellamy shrugs. "She's terrified, I guess. I don't think she knows anything. Pretty sure she was just born into the gang, and was trying to get out of it. But I don't know, I could be wrong."

"You're right," she starts walking again, not waiting to watch if Bellamy follows her. She knows he will. "I think we'll be letting her go, soon. She doesn't really have enough information to torture her over, and she's too anxious to keep her working with us. Jasper seems to have taken an interest in her, though, so maybe she'll stay."

"I..you kidnapped her for no reason?"

"No, there was a reason," Clarke shrugs. "I wasn't for sure if she knew anything or not. Or if she was a better actor than me. But, I have my answers now. Hm. We could have used her as bait to lure out Cage."

"Clarke, we aren't using the nervous wreck as bait to lure out Cage."

"I _really_ don't remember appointing you the leader," she jabs a finger at him, but smiles a bit, so he doesn't think she's about to kill him. She becomes a gang leader for two years, and suddenly everyone thinks she's out to murder them. Christ. "It would work, because he thinks that she betrayed him. So when he goes to take her back into the torture chambers, we stab him in the throat. Actually," Clarke pauses, "actually, no. That's when we grab him, you put him in a headlock, choke him 'till he passes out, while I take care of the guards. Then we take him back to Arkadia, and torture the fuck out of him until he tells us everything we need to know. How's that sound?" Bellamy sighs, shaking his head.

"I think we should stick to the plan. Considering how we're already here." He gestures to the shanty house, worn down and looking scorched. Cage only lives here because it's easy to think that he doesn't, that it's just a ploy. Clarke knows better, because she knows exactly how criminal leaders think. There are two guards at the front of the building, awkwardly shifting back and forth. Clarke wonders if they get paid, or if their payment is them being allowed to live.

"I guess," she mutters. "The plan?"

"Hey, fuckheads!" Bellamy cups his hands to his mouth, shouting as loud as possible. Clarke ducks down when the guards' heads snap towards them, and slowly starts to crouch-walk to where she's supposed to be. "You're pretty shit gu- ah, _fuck,_ " Clarke hears the gunshots, but is fairly sure Bellamy can handle it. Hopefully. If he dies from that, she's going to electrocute Cage's fucking balls. She stands after a few yards, breaking into a sprint. She isn't even close to getting out of breath when she gets to the back door, crouching down in front of it. Clarke pulls out two bobby pins from her hair, twisting and pulling off the tops as she goes. "Hey, Griff'." 

"Welcome back, Blake," she doesn't look up from the door, twisting the pins in the lock. She hears a click, and grins. "Are they taken care of?" Bellamy nods, panting. "Did you get injured anywhere?" A shake of his head. "Need _anything_ to be fixed?" Another head shake. "Are you lying to me, Bellamy Robert Blake?" 

"Oh, fuck off," he grumbles, watching as she opens the door. "Need me to go first?"

"Don't need you to do anything," Clarke responds, smirking just a bit. "If you want, though. Considering how I didn't bring a gun."

"Were you seriously too lazy to put on your fucking holster?" She shrugs. "Jesus Christ."

"Just go first, you know you want to. If you get shot, I'll bury you in a meadow, or something like that. You like sentimental shit, right?"

"Fuck _off,_ Clarke," Bellamy groans. "If I get shot, I want you to do my eulogy."

She grins, already planning it out. Not because she wants Bellamy to die, no. But..she does need to be prepared, just in case he pulls a dumbass move, or something like that. "Consider it done. Now, go," he does, thankfully, crouch-walking forwards. Clarke watches as he holds his gun out in front of him, peering around the area as he goes. "Shh. Walk quieter, there are people up ahea-" Clarke is interrupted when she slams face first into Bellamy's back, resisting the urge to throttle him. "The fuck, Bell-"

"Um.." she peers over his shoulder at the sound of a new voice, a young woman who's..really pretty. And also not supposed to be here. "Hey. Are you two-" 

"Bell," Clarke murmurs, dropping her voice to a low, deep pitch. "Don't kill her, but take care of her. We're taking her back home," and with that, Bellamy lunges forward, cupping one hand over the woman's mouth, wrapping his arm around her neck. "Shh, don't struggle," Clarke tells the woman. "We won't hurt you."

"Are we scrapping the plan?" 

"No," Clarke flips her phone out of her pocket, swiping up and putting in her passcode. "I'll text Raven to let her know that we need Lincoln and Octavia to do this," she informs him, softly. "Go out, I'll follow you soon."

> **[ME:]** Slight problem, need Linc/O to come & finish job
> 
> **[ME:]** I'll tell you all about it when we get back
> 
> **[RAVEN:]** wtf clarke mcfucking griffin, what did you fuck up maam
> 
> **[RAVEN:]** i am NOT playing cleanup crew w u, not after the time you murdered that 1 guy and made me hide the damn body
> 
> **[ME:]** It isn't like that, and Octavia killed him, not me. 
> 
> **[ME:]** Just tell them to hurry up, or I'm firing Murphy
> 
> **[RAVEN:]** ok i dont see the problem here, i think bell would be more pissed than me lmao
> 
> **[RAVEN:]** ok tho, theyre on their way. u best believe that im going to riot u w questions when u come back
> 
> **[ME:]** Got it. See you later, Reyes
> 
> **[RAVEN:]** oh btw ur typing style makes me wanna pull my eyes out js. type like a normal 22 y/o please&thanku

Clarke shakes her head at that, but turns on her heels, closing the door quietly behind her. She stares at Bellamy, who has the woman neatly hoisted over his shoulder, like a weird, fleshy sack of potatoes. "Did she struggle?"

"Well, duh," he rolls his eyes. "Everyone does."

"Fair enough," she stands, brushing off her pants. "You know, I think I like her."

"We aren't playing a game of stockholm syndrome so you can get in her pants, Griffin." She rolls her eyes this time, shrugging one shoulder. 

"I never said I would. She's really pretty, though. Does she have a license on her?" Bellamy lets her drop down into his arm, his other hand fishing into her pocket. He holds up a wallet, tossing it to Clarke who catches it with ease. She flips the wallet open, staring at the drivers license in it. "Lexa, huh?" She smiles. "I can't wait to bring you home."


	2. Lonely, lost in pain

"She's awake."

"No, she isn't."

"I know when people are awake, Bellamy, and this one is awake." 

Lexa's head is _spinning_ , and she can barely focus on the two people speaking right outside her..cell? Her cell. Everything is dark, but when she reaches out, she feels bars. _Bars_. Her heart is pounding, she can feel her hands shaking, and her throat is dry. Lexa tries her best to not hyperventilate, but how is she suppose to keep calm _here_? She's..she doesn't remember much, just that Anya told her to come to a meeting, which turned into a gang discussion or something, and now she's..here. Lexa's pretty sure she saw two people before she was..knocked out? But she doesn't remember. At this point, her entire body is shaking, and everything is spinning and everything is just so- Lexa gasps, opening the eyes she didn't know she closed. She tries to focus on her breathing, the floor around her. She tries to ground herself, tries to think about how her sister used to calm her down. Lexa eventually does end up calming down, after what seems like a minute. Things stop spinning, even if it's too dark to see.

"What are we going to do with her? Torture her?" A spike of fear slams into her chest, and Lexa can feel her heart pounding again, her anxiety rising. "Why do you think she was there?" 

"We aren't torturing her, Bellamy. Turn the lights on and leave. But not all the way, I don't want to blind her," the anxiety slowly fades after she hears the woman's voice. "Actually. Get something for her to eat, come back, then turn the lights on and leave. She's probably hungry."

"You're awfully commanding." The man, Bellamy, sounds annoyed. But..like he does this everyday. 

"Probably because I'm in charge. Now, go," there's the sound of moving, footsteps, and then silence. Lexa _hates_ the silence. She wants to say something, but at the same time, she _really_ doesn't. She wants to leave, go back to her college dorm and literally never leave. She wants to go _home_ , or find Anya, or never have gone to that meeting last night. She doesn't want to be here, and Lexa is pretty sure she's crying now, because she's probably going to die and there is nothing she can do about it. She hears a sharp, deep inhale, and tries to muffle her sniffling. "Don't cry," the woman's voice is suddenly a _lot_ softer, almost comforting. "You aren't going to die, or be tortured, if that's what you're thinking. Believe it or not, I'm actually a very nice person." Lexa laughs, weakly. 

"Y- you kidnapped..me."

"I did do that, yes," the woman confirms. "Lexa Woods, huh? Your name is very pretty."

"Um.." Lexa frowns. She really, really wants to be able to see the woman who's talking to her. "Thank..you? What's, um, what's your name?"

"Clarke," the woman, Clarke, informs her. "Normally I wouldn't tell you that, but you sound like you're about to die, so I figured you should know," Lexa kind of wants to punch Clarke in the face now, actually. "Care to tell me why you were in the Mountain?" The..Mountain. That's probably the dumbest name Lexa has _ever_ heard that house be called. Anya always called it a shithole, which it was, really. "Or are you just going to be quiet?"

"I was.." she pauses. "A friend of mine had to do business, or something, there. I just..went along with h- them." Lexa isn't sure if she shouldn't say specific pronouns or not, so she just sticks with neutral terms. She doesn't know what Clarke would do if she knew someone was working with "the Mountain", considering how annoyed she sounded when she said the place's name.

There's a pause, that stretches on for too long. Lexa tries to not fidget, or move too loudly. Hopefully Clarke can't hear her breathing, getting louder every minute Clarke doesn't say something. "What gang are you from, Lexa?"

"I- I'm not in a gang."

"Bullshit. Why did you go on a meeting, a _business_ meeting between two gangs, if you aren't in one of them."

"My friend needed to go, and they didn't want to go alone!" Lexa protests. "I'm not in a gang, I never have been. I'm just a college student, and I..people will look for me."

"Your friend is in a gang, then, and you aren't," Clarke repeats. "What's their name?"

"Why would I tell you that?" 

In the darkness, Lexa hears Clarke shift. "Because I want to know my potential allies and enemies. Ever heard of Skaikru, Lexa? That's where you are, right now," Lexa's heart stops very suddenly. Skaikru. Anya's made deals with them before, "peace treaties" and stuff like that. Anya only had positive things to say, and she only went to that meeting to get more information for Skaikru. Lexa's never understood the name, but apparently it's from an old language, that means..something. Clarke hums, softly, just loud enough that Lexa can hear it. "You've heard of us, then."

"I.."

"Why don't you just tell me who this friend _is_ , Lexa? It would be a lot easier for the both of us," Clarke sighs, sounding a lot like Anya, when she's disappointed. "Are you scared of me? Is that why you aren't telling me anything? Lexa, if I wanted to be torturing you or your friend, I would have both of you in this cell right now, chained to the walls. Let me remind you, Lexa, that you _aren't_ chained to the walls. You have free reign. If you tell me who your friend is, I'll let you out of this cell, and give you a room." 

Lexa hates the way Clarke sounds, patronizing, calm, and kind at the same time. She has no idea how any human being can do that, but maybe Clarke isn't human. Lexa is still completely in the dark, so she doesn't know. She breathes in, wondering what Anya would do. "I..she's..she's from Trikru."

"Oh," Clarke sounds a little surprised. "Lexa Woods. Anya Woods. That would make sense. Your sister, right? Don't worry, Skaikru is in an alliance with Trikru. It's a very long gang history, if you'd like me to tell you about it later. Speaking of history, how is Anya doing?" Lexa didn't really expect that reaction.

"Um..she's..she's fine."

"That's nice to hear. Has she ever talked about me, Lexa?" The tone in her voice _really_ makes Lexa want to just..deck her in the face. 

"No. I don't really pay attention to my sister's _gang_ ," she snarls out, harsher than she meant. "I just go to college and live alone. I don't want to get involved in your stupid gang wars."

Clarke pauses, if only for a minute. The silence still fills Lexa's ears. "I think you're very interesting, Lexa."

"I don't care what you think."

"Awfully bold words, for someone locked in a cell with no power." She can _feel_ the rage inside of her churning, crashing like waves.

"I am _not_ fucking powerless!" Lexa snarls. She's always tried _so_ hard to not curse, and yet Clarke is making her so fucking pissed and furious..god, she just wants to _strangle_ the woman. "Just because I'm in this cell doesn't mean I couldn't kill you. I could reach through these bars and stab you in the throat right now. Did you frisk me, while I was unconscious? Take any hidden knives? Feel around for a holster? You have no idea, I could-"

"I like you a lot more when you aren't shaking and anxious," Clarke informs her, interrupting as if Lexa said absolutely nothing. "You're a lot more fun when you're confident."

"I don't care if you like me," Lexa whispers, all of her confidence disappearing as soon as Clarke says that. "I don't care about you, I just..I just want to go back to my _dorm_." 

"I understand that. I was scared, too, the first time I got kidnapped. But, luckily, my kidnapper wasn't that intent on hurting me. He just wanted to talk. Just like what I want to do with you, Lexa. I plan on letting you out when Bellamy comes back, and you can be my second, for a month or so. Show you the ropes of leading a gang, of being in charge, of how many politics go along with it. I won't do anything to you. You'll have your own room, and you'll be allowed to do whatever, so long as you don't leave. I'll even introduce you to my people. I think you'd like them. If you don't want to do that, I can call Anya and have her pick you up from this cell, if you want. It's your choice, Lexa. I don't care what you pick."

Every single ounce of her is _screaming_ to go back home. To let Anya come and get her, to be _free_ from this place. But..some distant, quiet part is telling her to stay. Lexa stands up in the cell, taking a single, shaky step towards Clarke. She takes a deep breath in, squaring her shoulders. 

"Get me out of this cell so I can learn about your gang."


	3. Keeping up with appearances

"What do you want to see first?"

"Um...the uh, the territory?"

"You don't want to meet the people first?"

"I don't..I.. _fine_. We can talk to the people first."

Clarke smiles, shaking her head a bit. "No, Lexa. It's up to you. If you want to see the territory first, we'll see the territory first."

"You..goddammit," Lexa half-growls at her, and Clarke notices the way she half-clenches her fists, too. Lexa's done a lot of that ever since she got out of the cell. Clarke likes that, the challenge that she has in her. Lexa seems so composed, so scared, it's nice to see her when she gets pissed. Which has happened a lot. Probably because of Clarke, but that's okay, she likes challenges. "I don't care. You pick." Clarke clicks her tongue. 

"No, that isn't how this works. This is for you. It's your choice, darling." She can _hear_ Lexa grimace. 

"Don't call me that."

"What are you going to do about it?" Clarke challenges as she stops walking. "Hit me? Curse me out? Try to prove that you're stronger than me?" 

"I.." Lexa looks away from her, shaking her head. "I don't..never mind. Should have left when I had the fucking chance." Clarke grins, ducking her head just a little when she does. It's always a fun surprise when Lexa curses. She doesn't do it often, in the hour and a half Clarke's known her, but sometimes. Mostly when she's _really_ pissed, or upset. Clarke can tell already - Lexa leaves hardly anything to the imagination with her and her personality. She's predictable, which is good for Clarke. She's met plenty of people who've pretended to be one way, and then turn out entirely different. Lexa could be playing her, she really could be, but Clarke just doesn't believe that. She'd be impressed if it turned out that Lexa was a totally different person. 

"You can still leave," Clarke points out, "it's still an offer. You don't have to stay. You could walk out those doors _right now_ , and no one would stop you."

Lexa clearly, _very_ clearly, looks towards the exit of the amphitheater they're in. God, Clarke _loves_ their hideout. "I..I want to see the territory." She huffs, crossing her arms across her chest. Clarke grins. There she is. 

"I like you a lot more wh-"

"When I'm confident, I _know_ ," Lexa glares at her. "Just let me see the damn territory, Clarke. I'll see the people after." Clarke beams at her, nodding. She loops her arm around Lexa's, pulling her to the middle of the amphitheater.

"Here's where most of the action happens," she informs her, "a lot of meetings and things. I like to stand up there," she points to the first step on the amphitheater. "To announce things. But sometimes I walk around and say what I need to. But a lot of the time, I'm there. But I think I'll be spending a lot more time with you, love." 

"Don't.."

"Anyways," Clarke interrupts, just to see Lexa's reaction. There isn't one, which is a little disappointing, but she'll take it. "Over here," she guides the woman towards Raven's side of the amphitheater. Well, it isn't _just_ her side, but all of her shit is over there, "is our mechanic, Raven. She doesn't like new people, or people who she doesn't get to play with," Clarke stares at Lexa, scanning her up and down. Actually. "She might like you, though. Just don't take her shit, she'll put up with you."

"Hey, 'Griff!" The mechanic, of course, appears from her little area. "Brought the new toy out?"

"Not a toy." Lexa mumbles. Raven just smirks, rolling her eyes. 

"I'm sure you aren't, hon. Clarke seems to like you, so you've got some brownie points already. Has she met everyone yet?"

"No, I'm showing her the territory first."

"Smart," Raven chuckles, "smart girl. She knows what she's doing, then. Always a good idea to get the layout of the place you'll be staying in for a while. Unless she isn't staying for a long time?" Clarke gives the woman a half shrug, closing her eyes briefly.

"We haven't decided ne-"

"Clarke!" Clarke is a little annoyed at herself for not hearing Octavia's footsteps, but she blames it on Raven's annoying smirk. "That the new girl? Is she the new girl? Can she be the new girl? She's cute."

"And Lincoln wouldn't approve," she rolls her eyes. "She isn't the new girl. She's my new friend."

Lexa raises an eyebrow, staring at Clarke with something like..confusion. "You.."

"I'm showing her around," she informs Octavia, who seems to be _very_ intensely interested with Lexa. "Unless you want to do it?" Octavia shakes her head, very quickly, very aggressively. 

"God, no. I have enough shit going on. Have you even heard of what the Mountain is doing, Clarke? Like, it's kind of important. They're starting to take people and try to turn them into like, monsters, or whatever. I honestly don't know for sure, but that's because I haven't-"

Clarke raises a hand, feeling a small headache build up. Octavia's amazing, sure, that's fine, but her _voice_ is either so fucking high, or it's super low. "Take Lincoln, Monroe, Bell, and maybe Monty and Jasper to go scope it out. Check out the subway station they have around their main place. It should be abandoned, but if it isn't, you know what to do," when Lexa audibly makes a noise from that, Clarke smiles at her. "O won't hurt them, not really. She'll just knock them out. Don't worry, we don't kill people unless we absolutely have to." Raven snorts. 

"That's bullshit, new girl. Always believe Clarke's lying to you about something. Better idea, always believe that everyone is lying to you about something, because they probably are. Just how people work. There are three things that you should look out for. Ego, beliefs, and people. Once you have that down, you'll be set. Talk to me when Clarke takes you off the leash, okay?" Clarke tries her absolute best to hide the smile on her face. She's already seen it, the pure _rage_ on Lexa's face when Raven said that.

"I'm not on a leash," her voice drops, deadly quiet. "I am _not_ on a leash, I can leave at any point I want," she gestures to the gates of the amphitheater. "I could fucking go right now. I am perfectly free to do whatever I want here." Clarke can tell that she almost, almost believes that. She wonders what it takes to set Lexa off, normally. She's sure the gang situation definitely isn't helping her temper, but she does wonder. Raven looks nearly taken aback, but the mechanic just grins, nodding. 

"I like her. Can we keep her, Clarke? Can she stay? She seems like a nice addition to our family." Lexa narrows her eyes at the woman, and Clarke _loves_ it. She wonders why Lexa sometimes can be this confident, and then absolutely terrified the next second. Maybe it's coping mechanism? If she's bold around other people, maybe she'll believe it herself. Clarke thinks that it could be that, but she still..isn't completely sure. Which bothers her, because she _always_ figures people out. She figured out Bellamy as soon as she met him, Raven a few days, Octavia a couple more days. Murphy..he took awhile, but only because he kept _changing_ views and personalities like they were clothes. She did like that about him, though. She wishes that he still did that sometimes.

"Didn't you hear her, Raven?" Clarke smiles. "She isn't on a leash. She can leave whenever. It's totally up to Lexa if she wants to stay. That is her name, by the way. Don't call her new girl or new toy around me, you understand that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Raven does that stupid, mocking salute that's always pissed Clarke off for whatever reason. "Lexa's a nice name. Wait..wait, Clarke," Raven drops her voice, suddenly looking a little more panicked. "That isn't..that's not Anya's little sister, is it? She isn't Lexa Woods. Tell me that this isn't Lexa Woods." 

Clarke smiles a little more. "Lexa, what's your last name?"

"Woods," she mutters. "My last name is Woods." Raven inhales, very sharply. 

"Clarke Eliza Griffin," she grabs her by the arm, dragging Clarke off into more of her place. "Clarke, you did _not_ steal Anya's little sis. You didn't do this. This wasn't..no, this.. _no_! Anya is going to be _pissed_ if she finds out we have Lexa, you _know_ this! Do you really want to ruin the shit we have with Trikru because you wanted a new fuck buddy? Seriously, Clarke?"

"First of all," Clarke drops her voice an octave or two. "You don't talk to me like that, Raven. Don't forget your place. And this was entirely Lexa's choice. I've already told Anya that her sister was going to be staying with us for a little, and that she had all of the freedom in the world to leave. Nothing is going to happen between Skaikru and Trikru, it's going to be fine. Calm down, Reyes. You've been getting awfully ballsy recently, and I don't know why. Stop challenging me."

Raven scoffs. "I wasn't challenging you, Clarke. I just don't want to have to go to war because you got bored and wanted someone to play mindgames with you, okay? God, just, tell me about this next time. Bell might be your second, but that doesn't mean I'm not your third. Also, don't send Monty and Jasper out there, _please_. They'd get killed, neither of them could keep up with O and Linc'. They're better off here, where they can help me with things." Clarke nods, taking that into consideration.

"Alright, Reyes. I'll keep them here. But they're going to have to help on missions sometimes. Everyone has to leave this amphitheater from time to time. I should go. Lexa will probably be getting anxious if I leave her alone for too long." 

Clarke steps out of the little shack Raven has, and stares at-

Nothing.

She stares at nothing.

Lexa is _gone_. 


	4. You're gonna (want to) run away from this storm

"So you're really telling me that she just ran, then."

"Yeah. Just straight up bolted. Clarke's looking everywhere for her, but she still hasn't found her. Shocking, actually. I mean, if I met O and Raven with no context, I'd fucking run too."

"I think any sane person would, Jasper."

"Fair," the man, Jasper, shrugs. "I wonder if she just left. I probably would. Monty, do you think she left?"

The other one, Monty, also shrugs. "I mean, maybe. Clarke really needs to stop being a bitch, huh? If she kidnaps someone, she needs to do it right. Like, she wants to make her apart of us, and here she is, calling her dumb names and getting upset when she decides to go. Cla- wait. Someone's here," Lexa can feel her heart _slam_ into her chest, her breath caught in her throat. God, she's so stupid. These people are in a _gang_ , of _course_ they'd notice if she was hiding. "Is it you, new girl? Lexa, right? You can come out, if you'd like. We have a spare couch in here."

"If Clarke finds out that we're smuggling this woman, she isn't going to like it." Jasper sighs.

"I don't care what Clarke thinks. Like, the kidnapping? She's so dumb. Anyways, it is Lexa, right? Seriously, we aren't going to turn you in or something. We're both on your side," Lexa takes in a shaky breath, willing her hands to stop shaking. She steps out of corner she was hiding in, trying her best to just stop _shaking_. "Oh, you look not good."

"That's not nice, Monty," Jasper huffs, standing up off of the couch. "Do you want some water, something to eat? I'm pretty sure Clarke forgot all of that, huh?" Lexa nods. 

"I, um..that would be nice. And- and yeah, I'm..Lexa."

Monty smiles at her, still looking concerned. "Sorry you got wrapped up in all of," he gestures around, "this. I'm Monty, by the way. That's Jasper. Anything you'd like in particular, or is anything good?"

"Anything is fine," she smiles back, trying her best to not look too nervous. "This is..a lot nicer meeting." Monty laughs, his head tilting back a little. 

"Yeah, Octavia and Raven can be a _lot_. They're really good people, both of them. It just takes a long time to get used to them. It doesn't help that Clarke encourages them to be pricks to everyone who exists, either. We don't really.."

"Get into gang drama," Jasper finishes for him, setting a plate down on the coffee table. "Feel free to sit down if you want," he smiles at her, "our place is _definitely_ the most comfortable place in this entire fucking amphitheater. Don't know why we chose an amphitheater, but here we are." Lexa laughs a little, sits on the couch. 

"I..it's definitely interesting."

"Oh, you can say it's fucking stupid." Monty rolls his eyes. 

"Jasper's just bitter than his little druggie den didn't get picked as our gang hideout."

"It isn't little, I'm not bitter, and it was not a druggie den until I got there, so your point is invalid." He jabs a finger at the other man, and Lexa tries to hide another laugh. 

Lexa leans forwards a little, resting her head on her hand. "Am I allowed to ask about..how this happened? Your gang?" Monty sighs. 

"It used to be Clarke's mom's. Abby. She ran this place pretty well, never really got involved. But Abby got a little too old to keep going, so Clarke took over, per the laws of the gang. Abby didn't want her kid to be involved, after her husband got killed in some weird, internal struggle. But Clarke wanted to, and Clarke always gets what she wants," he mutters the last part, "so she got in. A bunch of us were friends with her, and we thought it would be fun. Bell, Murphy, O, me, Jasper. Raven came along later, and so did Lincoln. Bell, Murphy, Raven, O, Lincoln, Jasper, and I are like, her main circle. Everyone else is sort of just..there. But anyways. Clarke started to get involved with like, _everyone_. The Mountain, for one. Trust me, worst mistake ever. Now we're in this huge gang war with this guy named Cage, and it _sucks._ But, did you want to know about Trikru?" Lexa nods. "Okay, when Clarke took over, Anya tried to kill her. Like, a lot. Then Clarke saved her life, and Anya tried to kill her again, but Clarke sort of just. Stopped the knife an inch away from her throat, or so she says. Anya then basically gave up, offered a treaty and a trade agreement, and Trikru and Skaikru have been close ever since. You know, we used to be called the _Delinquents_. Anya gave us the name Skaikru. For like, an official bond or something. It means Sky People, in a language I can't speak."

"Oh," Lexa frowns. "That's..a lot. So..Clarke's changed, then? Like, a lot..?"

Monty nods, _hard_. "God, yeah. She's changed so much from the person we used to know. She's basically just..terrible. She isn't the Clarke we used to actually like. The way she treated you is new stuff, she was never like this until a few months ago."

"Oh," she repeats the word, because she isn't sure what to say. "Do..do people try to talk to her about this?" She knows that's why Anya has Indra, Gustus, and Nyko. To make sure she doesn't do anything dumb. She's got a team of advisers, which Lexa always thought was smart. Jasper sighs, shakes his head.

"No. She barely lets anyone get close to her. The closest we've gotten to getting this shit through her head is through Bell and Rae. But they've been getting.." he makes a gesture with his hand, "I don't know. Corrupted isn't the word for them, because that isn't what's..happening to them. But they're not caring as much as they used to." He sighs again.

"They were our best chances, and they've kind of just gotten used to how Clarke works. But it's..it's not.. _right_. No one deserves to be in this shitty gang, not anymore. All we do is pick fights and go on rampages, and everyone either loves it or hates it. This isn't the way it should work, Lexa. It really isn't. I promise that this wasn't how it used to be. I honestly think Anya wouldn't keep up the treaties with us if she knew how it worked behind closed gates." Monty shakes his head, looking sadder than he did a few seconds ago.

"We really just want our old leader back, is what we're going for," Jasper huffs, "and it's annoying us both, so fucking much. It's dumb, how Clarke is doing all of this. She used to be a good leader, and now she's doing everything wrong," he rolls his eyes. "I think what we're saying is that you should probably leave. You stay here, you're only gonna get hurt, Lexa. Clarke doesn't know how to do anything _but_ hurt people now. It's not gonna be safe for you anymore, after you pulled this. I mean, it was smart," Jasper snorts. "Like, Clarke definitely didn't expect that from you, so you've got some leverage now. But that trick isn't going to work twice."

Monty nods. "If you want, we'll get you out of here. You have to know that Clarke didn't plan on letting you go, right? If you tried to leave, she'd let you at first, then hunt you down and bring you back here, all while telling your sister that you were fine."

"Anya wouldn't believe it."

"Clarke's a better liar than you'd think."

"And Anya isn't stupid," Lexa grumbles. "She's really good at knowing when someone's lying to her. It's why she's in charge. She doesn't make empty threats, either. _And_ , she really does care about me. She'd look for me if I was here for more than a month." Monty considers this, nodding.

"Probably. But really, Lex. Can I call you that?" When she nods, he smiles. "She's not letting you go without a fight. And no offense, Lex, but you don't seem confident in anything that you do. You seem really anxious, and I've only known you for like, ten minutes."

"And he's shit at reading people." Jasper adds.

"Shut up," Monty glares at the other guy. "If you want to leave, we'll get you out. If you want to stay, but then change your mind, we'll get you out. Trust me when I say that we're in your corner, Lex. We like you better than Clarke."

Lexa swallows, staring at the shack door. "If I leave, she wins, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Jasper sighs. "Yeah, she does." Monty nods, looking down at the ground.

"I.." she keeps staring at that door. "I don't know. I don't want her to win."

"None of us do, not really," Monty sighs. "If you stay, you need to be more bold. Confident. Stronger. Clarke won't care at all if you don't interest her, and not even going to lie to you Lex, you seem like the only person right now who could help her fix her attitude." Lexa nods, sighing. 

"How do I do that, exactly? I literally just want to go back to my college dorm and eat ramen all day." Jasper snickers. 

"That's basically all we do. And you just..have to not let yourself get intimidated by her. She'll probably carry out a lot of threats, but if you just keep taking them and getting right back at her, she'll be impressed. And if she's impressed enough with you, she'll listen to you. She's impressed with Anya because she apparently "had the balls" to keep trying to kill her, which is a huge ego boost for Griffin, but _still_. Don't let her push you around. Be the one who pushes _her_ around," Jasper grins. "Do whatever you want, when you want. Go out when you want, fuck, go outside the _gates_ and come _back_ whenever. It'll definitely shock her if you do that. Stand taller when you walk," he stands up, motioning for her to do the same. Lexa does. "Posture needs to be straighter. Monts, help."

"Gotcha," he moves to stand up next to Jasper, crossing his arms. "Stand taller, straighter. Like, you're about to break your back straight," Lexa does, feeling a slight ache when she does so. God, her posture has always been terrible. "You need to walk like that, too. Make sure to walk in like, quick, long strides. If someone's talking to you, try to not look super interested. _Especially_ when Clarke's talking. A weird, dominance thing that people do is use people's last names, instead of their firsts. Like, mine's Green. Jordan," he jerks a thumb to Jasper. "Clarke is Griffin, Raven is Reyes, Bell is Blake, Murphy is..well, his last name is Murphy. If you want to piss him off, call him John. That's his first name. It's kind of reversed for him. Octavia is also Blake, but most people just call her O. Lincoln's is Forrest, and that's about it, for the ones that matter."

"Awfully egotistical of you," Jasper teases, "but yeah. Start calling the main ring by their last names, and they'll take you more seriously. Give people weird ass pet names, too, if you want. Call Clarke honey, darling, love, sweetie, _especially_ sweetie, oh my god. It's so mocking and she _hates_ it. Why do you think she calls you new girl, or something like that?" Lexa nods, smiling. "And the smile. Start smirking a lot more. That sounds dumb, but do it. Or grin. It makes you look like you're in charge, even if you aren't. Keep your voice leveled and calm, don't get angry often, like, don't blow up. That's just what Clarke wants. Befriend Rae and O, and definitely Bell. If you can, try to hang with Murphy, but he's dangerous. More so than a few of us."

"God, that's..a lot. Anything else I need to know?" Lexa frowns. "Do I need to drop my voice, or something? Like, make it deeper?" She does just that, and watches as Jasper covers his mouth with his hands, but she still hears that damn laugh. "Don't laugh at me! I'm trying my best here."

He grins, rolling his eyes. "Don't make your voice deeper. People are more scared of people who have higher voices and are fucking badass as shit. Clarke still doesn't know that, don't tell her that," he adds. "You're gonna really want to talk with Raven, Bell, and O. They're like her top three, she used to listen to them, and they're all really close. Bell's like an older brother, Raven's her best friend, and Octavia is like her sister. She'll definitely be impressed if you get all of them to like you. We'll give you tips, of course," Jasper beams. "Monts and I know everything about everyone." Lexa nods, feeling a grin tug onto her face.

"I didn't expect you guys to actually help me." Monty shrugs, smiling at her.

"We kind of figured that you'd need a little help," he looks towards the door. "But most importantly. Above literally everything else. _Keep_ your confidence, okay? Don't just hide behind it. You need to like, completely believe in it. Clarke's gonna be pissed for the first few hours, but once you prove that you can be just as strong as her, she'll eventually get interested. Just don't overdo it, either. Don't be such a prick, or Clarke's going to resent it. But be powerful enough that she'll listen to you." Lexa nods again, crossing her arms. 

"I think I've got it. How do I..get her attention? Do I just go back out here?"

"Go to the top of the stair-things, all the way to the far right corner. Clarke goes there often, she'll definitely see you. When you get there, smile at her and stand up. You're barely taller than her, like, _barely_. You're just a _little, itty bitty_ taller than her. But it'll be enough. Say something like, "you finally came looking for me, huh, honey?" and she'll go _feral_. Just mock her or something, be bold, confident." Jasper grins. 

"But, again," Monty sighs, "don't overdo it." 

"Alright," Lexa smiles. "I've got it down. I..thanks. Seriously, thank you guys. I didn't expect anyone to be supportive of me." Monty and Jasper both grin at her, looking frighteningly similar. 

"No prob, Lex." Monty waves a hand. 

"Go get 'em, tiger!" Jasper finger guns at her, which is less helpful, but it still makes her smile. She squares her shoulders, and takes a step out of the shack. As soon as she does, she sees Clarke, all the way on the other side of the amphitheater. Lexa can feel her heart beat faster, harder, but she pushes it down, swallowing. She keeps her arms at her sides, taking long strides like she was told to. She gets up to the place where Clarke apparently goes with ease, leaning up against the back "wall" of the amphitheater. She crosses her arms against her chest, scanning the area around her. It's..actually really, really busy. Which is a little surprising, because Trikru isn't really like this. Lexa blinks for a second, and then..then she locks eyes with Clarke.

Who is very aggressively coming toward her. She swallows again, feeling her mouth go completely dry. Clarke looks _pissed_. 

As soon as the blonde gets up the steps, she has a finger at Lexa's throat. "You-"

"Careful," Lexa warns, taking a step towards the woman, letting that finger jab into her neck a little. "You almost sounded upset, sweetie. Care to tell me what's wrong?" Her heart is going to explode, it's actually going to explode, she is _going_ to die. That was such a bad idea, why would she take Monty and Jasper's advice, Clarke is going to _kill_ her-

"You.." Clarke stares at her, eyes somehow wide and narrowed at the same time. "What did you call me?" Her voice drops, and Lexa remembers what Jasper told her. 

"I _asked_ ," she starts, trying to sound very patient, "if you were alright. Since we're friends, I figured it would be okay to call you sweetie. Unless you'd prefer hon, darling, maybe love? I don't mind." Clarke's entire posture turns deadly, and she moves even closer.

"You don't talk to me like that."

"I think I do," Lexa steps closer, too, tilting her chin up. Jasper was right - the height difference is just barely there, but it is. "What are you going to do about it, Griffin?"

Clarke looks furious, absolutely pissed. Lexa can _see_ her hand shaking, probably out of pure fury. "You do _not_ talk to me like that, do you fucking understand me? You aren't the boss here," she fumes, "you aren't even close to being a leader. You aren't..you don't treat me like this, do you understand me? I'm only going to gi-" Lexa holds up a hand, even if her heart is actively _trying_ to kill her. 

"No. _You_ don't talk to _me_ like that. Once you learn to me nicer to me, maybe a little more polite, I'll be nicer to you," she leans forwards, looming just a little over Clarke. "Do you understand me, _sweetie_?"

And with that, she smirks, leans back, and brushes past Clarke, not looking back the entire time. 


	5. You know you've gone too far (or do you?)

"Clarke's pet project blew up in her face."

"I heard about that. Lexa, right? I think that's fucking hilarious, actually."

"Really, Murphy? Clarke's pissed."

"I would be too, if it happened to me, but it didn't happen to me, so it's funny." Clarke can hear Bellamy sigh, and she forces her fists down, keeps them by her sides. Murphy is _so_ lucky that she has self control, or else his nose would be _shattered_. She moves towards them, grabbing Bellamy by the shoulder, never stopping. 

"F- fuck's sake, Clarke, wh-" she doesn't listen to him, just keeps dragging him until they're at the top of the stairs. "What the _fuck_ , Clarke? I get you're upset, but-"

Clarke glares at him, putting a hand up. "Shut up before I shoot you somewhere," he does, immediately. Good. "What the hell do you know, Bellamy Blake? Who the fuck was she seen with? Where did she leave from?"

"No one knows," Bellamy mutters. "We don't know at all. Raven said she didn't see her, and you were with her anyways. O, Lincoln, and Monroe were already gone. When I went to check in on Monty and Jasper, they were both passed out with like, fifty plates around them, so I think they were in a food coma. I was just talking to Murphy about it as soon as I found out from Raven. Atom..it could have been him, but I don't think he would've cared that much to instruct her on things. Harper was out when Lexa found you, but I don't think it was her, either. I really don't think anyone did this, Clarke. I'm pretty sure this was all her. Her sister _is_ the leader of Trikru, after all. She probably picked things up."

"No," Clarke snarls, "no, that's not it. Where the fuck did she go? Where is she right now? I want you to find her, and I want you to-"

"Clarke," Bellamy interrupts, and she forces herself to stay still, her hand hovering right above her holster. Does everyone think that they can just fucking defy her today? "Lexa probably picked up on it from Anya. You've seen how she leads, it was probably similar. And so what if she talked to you like that? Someone's finally playing your games."

"She isn't _supposed_ to play my games!" Clarke throws her hands up into air, trying to stop them from _shaking_. God, she is so, _so_ fucking pissed. "You know damn fucking well that everyone is supposed to respect me, this isn't how it was supposed to go. She isn't supposed to try to play my fucking games, because she-"

" _Clarke_ ," he interrupts _again_ , and she stares at him. What the fuck is his problem? He _never_ does this, he's always been such a good, obedient second who knew went to shut the fuck up. "You need to calm down. You're letting people see that she effected you like this. You need to calm down, Clarke, or else people are going to start respecting her more. Play your stupid games with her, see how long she lasts, okay? This could be good for you." He smiles in a way that means he knows something that she doesn't, and she is _so_ ready to just castrate him right now. But..Bellamy is right, at least for one thing. She puts her hands down by her sides, takes a step forwards, sighing. 

"I don't know what to do, Bell."

"I know," he murmurs, because he probably does know. All of her anger seems to just..melt. She's just confused, now. Because she isn't stupid. She knows that someone from Skaikru did this, told Lexa what to do, and she doesn't know _why_. "It'll be fine," Bellamy takes a step back, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe you've found someone who you can actually compete with. If she isn't afraid of you, maybe you've got someone who can keep up with you."

She nods, wishing she could hug him. She can't, because of some stupid hierarchy thing, but she still wants to. "Thanks, Bell. I just.." she sighs, shaking her head. "I don't know. This wasn't supposed to turn out like this." Bell just smiles at her, squeezing a little. 

"Nothing ever really does." Clarke sighs, nodding. 

"What should I do?"

"She didn't fall for your games, so don't fall for hers," he tells her. "You're smart, you can deal with one girl. Now, do you need a peptalk, or are you going to go back to leading your gang?" Clarke rolls her eyes, but she smiles at her second. "C'mon, Griff. It'll be fine." 

"Do you know where she went? Or should I just.." she makes a gesture, "do my usual things?"

He considers for a second, before shrugging. "If you go after her, then it'll look like you're desperate. If you continue like things are normal, it'll probably look like you don't care enough to go after her. So I think you should just keep going like stuff is normal and nothing happened. Maybe go out or something." Clarke sighs.

"I fucked up, huh?"

"Yeah," Bellamy smiles, "yeah, you did." 

"Someone from Skaikru told her what to do, Bell."

"Yeah."

"Someone doesn't like how I lead."

Bellamy sighs, nodding. "You're not the same person we used to know," he shrugs. "But none of us are the same people we used to be. We're all different than we we started. If it makes you feel better, I still support you. Always will, you're my best friend, even if you're a dumbass sometimes. We all can be stupid as fuck." Clarke smiles, punching the man, lightly, in the shoulder. 

"You're shit at peptalks, Blake."

"I thought I did pretty good," he grins. "Go on. I'm sure this won't last." She rolls her eyes, giving him a light shove. 

"Go talk to your boyfriend," she turns away when Bell starts to sputter, walking down the stairs with ease. She makes her way towards the gates, pausing just as she's about to open them. _If you go after her, then it'll look like you're desperate._ Bellamy's words ring in her head, but..still. She still wants to find Lexa, talk to her. She hasn't been talked to like that in..forever. Probably since she started to investigate the Mountain, actually. A lot of things changed after the Mountain. Clarke sighs, pulls her hand away from the gates. Bellamy knows what he's talking about, he almost always knows what he's talking about. But Lexa can't just be let to roam around. If she starts turning people against her, Clarke is going to be _pissed_. And then she'll probably kill Lexa, and then it'll piss Anya off, and it'll be one big thing, so it'd be better to find Lexa. She turns away from the gate, shoving her hands into her jean pockets. "Hey, Reyes," she calls out to the mechanic, who sticks her head up from..something. "Know where Woods is?"

"Clarke, I don't care about your pet project, I'm busy," Raven grumbles, which means she's definitely busy. Raven doesn't talk aggressively unless she doesn't want to be interrupted. "Probably in like, I don't know. Ask someone else."

Clarke shakes her head, patting the woman on the back. "What can't you figure out?"

"It's nothing," Raven sighs. "Just some dumb thing that I've been working on."

"Is it.." she looks down at Raven's leg, seeing the makeshift brace she has. "For..?"

"Yeah," she mutters, "it is. I'm gonna have to ask Monty or something if he can help. I just..hate the idea of it, so I'm not doing good. But it'll be fine, I think. This one's still got a couple more months. Don't worry, it's not important. You less pissed off now? Heard what happened."

"God, none of you know how to keep your fucking mouths shut," Clarke scoffs. "But yeah. It happened. And _yes_ , I'm less pissed. Actually going to try and talk to her."

"Good luck with that," Raven doesn't look up. "I was lying before. I think I saw her go into the bar den. Why do we have a bar den, again? Who the hell built this amphitheater? _With_ a bar den?" She shakes her head. "Whatever. She might have come out of it, but I don't know. I got busy."

Clarke nods. "Alright, thanks, Reyes."

"No prob. You normally would have yelled at me for lying, what's up with you?"

"Saving my rage for a certain woman." This time, Raven looks up, grinning. 

"So I could call you a bitch right now and you'd do nothing? Or a shitty leader? Or a-"

"I'm not giving you a free pass after the third thing you say," Clarke informs her, narrowing her eyes. "Go back to work, Reyes."

"Yes ma'am!" The mechanic salutes, grinning even more as her eyes flick back down to the schematics in front of her. "Have fun with your lesbian escapades."

Clarke breathes in, pinching her nose. "Raven Reyes, you are _pushing_ it." She walks past the dumbass, who just cackles aggressively. Clarke has the hide that small smile on her face. She's glad Raven isn't the bitter, pissed off woman who hated the world like when they first met. She isn't sure that she'd be able to deal with it, if Raven _was_ still that bitchy person she met all those years ago. Clarke shakes her head, making her way towards their bar. She's glad that Mbege offered to run the bar, because she's fairly certain that anyone else would have drank _everything_ in there. She isn't sure how that would be possible, but everyone she knows seems to be able to keep surprising her. She presses open the double doors that lead to the bar, making sure that they both open. Almost every single head turns towards her, including Mbege. Almost every single head except for one. 

Except for Lexa. The person talking to her, _Murphy_ , looks up, but not her. Clarke breathes in, closing her eyes for a brief second, forces herself to grin. She approaches Lexa, resting a hand on the table. "Found you."

"You did." That's it. No snarky comeback, no bite, no false sweetness. Just..you did. God, Clarke wants to punch her. 

"Take a walk with me, Woods?" Lexa raises an eyebrow at her, gesturing across the table to Murphy. 

"I'm busy," she informs her. Calmly. _God_ , Clarke is _going_ to punch her in the fucking jaw. "Can it wait?"

Clarke is the leader of Skaiku. Clarke makes the damn rules here, she can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. So she beams even more at Lexa, putting on her best, charming grin. "No, I don't think it can," she leans forwards a little, "it really does involve you, Lexa." She watches as Murphy rolls his eyes, pushing himself up.

"Y'know, you two can have fun. I think I'm gonna go out for a bit. Was nice talking to you, Woods. You're something else. And Clarke," he smirks at her, placing a hand on her shoulder, leaning in. "Be careful." Clarke resists the urge to deck him.

"Oh, John," she reaches forwards, raising her arm to ruffle his hair. "I always am. Now, why don't you run off and go find your boyfriend?" She steps past him, because Murphy doesn't matter anymore, the conversation is over. Ignoring people who are very obviously there is a trait she's very proud of. "Anyways, Lexa. Take a walk with me."

"I don't think I will," Lexa stands up, taking a step towards her. "Not until you ask me nicely, Griffin." Clarke rolls her eyes. What kind of weird ass, dominance shit is she playing at? Whatever it is, Clarke can play better. She leans towards Lexa, cupping her jaw. 

" _Please_ take a walk with me?" She beams, brushing back a strand of Lexa's hair. She can briefly see something in Lexa's eyes, sort of like regret, or panic. Good. But, it's gone in a second, which is less good. 

Lexa smiles at her, in that completely fake way that Anya tends to do. "Of course. That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Clarke smiles back, sticking her hands in her pockets. 

"Oh, and Lexa?" she starts to walk back to the exit of the bar, not looking behind her. "Next time you want to try and prove a point, make sure your hands aren't shaking." Half of the bar goes silent at that, and Clarke _loves_ it. She's in complete control here, this is _her_ territory. She never loses her own ga-

"Bold choice of words," Lexa murmurs, "for someone who's definitely not stable enough to run a gang properly. I wonder what your friends think of you? Weren't you such a different girl, back before the Mountain?" Lexa follows, her head held high, her strides long and quick. She..how the _fuck_ does she know about the Mountain? Whoever told her that is going to fucking die, Clarke decides. "And now," Lexa smirks, "now you're just a bitter woman who doesn't know how to keep control over anything or anyone. Isn't that right?"

"Odd," Clarke keeps her voice level. She has to, she can't let her people see that Lexa's words are actually getting to her. "For someone who can't do anything without having an entire meltdown over it. You're too scared to actually say anything incriminating about me, aren't you? You're still afraid of me, aren't you, Lexa?"

Lexa grins, standing _right_ in front of her. "Strange that you're hiding behind simple insults because you know I'm right. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" 

"You haven't even been here a day and you think that you get to call the shots?"

"No. You just don't know how to do anything but pretend to be tough, Clarke. You've been taking more risks, putting more people in danger. You aren't even a person anymore, are you? You act tough, you act emotionless. Your reputation is more important than your people, isn't it?"

"My people are the most important thing to me," Clarke narrows her eyes. "You barely have seen me operate. How can you judge me on something you haven't seen, hmm, Lexa?"

Lexa grins again, this time wider, like getting Clarke to say that was part of her stupid, weird plan. "Why don't you let me watch you, then?" 

"Fine," Clarke doesn't even consider the possibilities of this going so fucking wrong. "Fine. I'll see you at six in the morning, Lexa."

And with that, she turns on her heels, pushing both doors open as she stalks out of the bar, silence echoing behind her.


	6. Now I'm making things up and not thinking it through

"Now that, _that_ was fucking hilarious."

"She looked like she wanted to kill me."

"Well, duh. Because she did."

"That isn't helping me literally at all, Murphy," Lexa sighs. Ever since Clarke left the bar, her heart's been trying to kill her. Like, literally been trying to kill her. Her anxiety has spiked to an all time high, her mouth is dry, her head is pounding, every part of her is screaming to just lay on the ground and scream for an hour. But she can't, because she honestly has no clue where anything is in this place. Which is awful, because she doesn't know if Monty and Jasper will let her stay at their place. She isn't even sure if she can remember how she got there, and everything is just- Lexa breathes in, shaking her head. "Was it too much?"

Murphy just shrugs, grinning in that sharp, deadly way that isn't artificial. Not like Clarke's artificial smirk. "Probably, yeah. But hey, you didn't get shot, she didn't kill me either, so you're good. Probably. Probably not, but hey, if you're dead by the morning, at least you survived a day in this hell. Do you even know where the hell you're gonna go to like..stay the night at? 'Cause I'm not letting you into my place."

"That's really nice of you."

"Thanks, I try." She sighs, tilting her head back a bit. 

"And no. I don't. Do you guys not like..have apartments? Y'know. Outside of this place?"

"Oh, I do," Murphy beams. "You're just not allowed in there." Lexa sighs, again, but she nods. She probably wouldn't want to go in there, anyways. 

"Who _doesn't_ actively live here?" He pauses for a second, tapping his chin with his index finger.

"Hm. Bellamy tends to stay if Clarke stays, so he'll be here tonight. Reyes chills in her shack, but sometimes she goes to her apartment, a city or two away from us. Not very often, but sometimes. Harper leaves, Monroe leaves, Mbege tends to just sleep in the backroom of the bar, but sometimes he goes to his house. Monty and Jasper don't stay here very often at night, so I'd take their place. It's the nicest. Uhh, Octavia and Lincoln either leave at night or they'll stay guard. Probably'll stay guard tonight. And I leave every night, so," Murphy shrugs, "speaking of. It's my time to head out. See you, Lex."

Lexa nods. "Alright. See you tomorrow, hopefully?" He grins at her, less sharp, less dangerous. 

"Let's hope, Woods." He waves at her as he leaves, only opening one door like a normal person. She sighs, sitting back down where she had been. God, she has absolutely no clue what she's doing. Insulting Clarke like that was a good idea - being challenged in her own home, publicly, definitely would hurt. At least, she thinks. She has no clue how Anya would react if someone did that to her. She'd probably stab them in the stomach and kick them to the ground, then leave without a word. Thank god Clarke isn't like Anya, or else Lexa's positive she'd be dead by now. Lexa sighs again, staring ahead. She barely notices the guy who sits in front of her, casually, just like it's normal to sit with someone you don't know. Lexa will literally never understand these people, she swears. But, she has to pretend like she does, so she sits a little straighter, opens her mouth-

"I'm Lincoln." The man, Lincoln, informs her. 

"..Lexa."

"I assumed so," he smiles at her, completely polite. He's.. _huge_ , muscle wise. He looks like he could throw her across the galaxy and not even break a sweat. "Have you heard of me before?" Lexa frowns. Is she supposed to have heard of him before? "I'm guessing that's a no," his voice is shockingly nice, like he doesn't plan on killing her if she says one wrong thing. Lincoln also talks really, _really_ softly. Thank god, everyone else she's met has been loud, even Monty and Jasper. "I'm Octavia's boyfriend." Oh. Lexa thinks she remembers something being said about him. Nothing much, just his name.

"I think Clarke mentioned you."

He smiles, and that's _also_ polite. She's getting a little worried, now. "She probably did. I'm, well, I _was_ , actually really good friend with your sister. Have you seen Nyko, recently?" _Oh_. The more Lexa stares at him, at his tattoos..yeah. She definitely recognizes him. He would always come by and talk to Anya, or Nyko. Sometimes she'd see him around Indra, actually. She just nods, unsure what to say. "Clarke's getting really bad," he sighs. "I'm guessing you've already talked to Monty and Jasper about this?" She opens her mouth, stuttering for a response, but Lincoln just..keeps smiling. "Don't worry, I know what they're up to. They're at the head of trying to make Clarke a better person. Or make her go back to who she was, before the power got to her head. I've been trying my best to help, but there isn't much I can do. She knows my background, and I can't exactly go back to Trikru." She frowns.

"Why not? I thought..you were really good friends with my sister."

"I was," Lincoln sighs, "but then I met Octavia. Anya...she doesn't really like gangsters from separate gangs falling in love with each other. So I made the choice to come here, to Skaikru. But Octavia made the choice to go there, with me. We got lured back to Skaikru after Clarke's mom saved my life. Before Clarke was in charge. So we went back. It's why I'm not welcomed there anymore, but they won't purposefully hunt me down unless I'm on their territory without reason," he explains, all very calmly and rationally, just like he's talking about the weather. "Anyways. You really are making an impact on her, you know that? You've really only been here for a few hours, and I can tell that she's wondering what the hell is going on." Lexa nods along with what he's saying, realizing that that's the first time she's heard him curse. If hell could even be considered a curse. 

"Who else is in on this?"

"Well," Lincoln frowns. "There's Monty and Jasper, me. Harper, who I don't think you've met yet. Bell, to some degree. He really just wants what's best for his best friend, and he doesn't really know how to say no to her, anyways. No one really does. Octavia and Raven live for the sudden rush that Clarke's been giving them. Murphy doesn't..he doesn't really care either way, so long as he's having fun and no one is telling him what to do. He'd..he would probably be on your side. He doesn't like listening to Clarke ever since she got more power-hungry. And..otherwise, no one really notices it. They don't really care."

Lexa frowns. "So..what, four, maybe five people?" He nods. "That..those aren't..those aren't great odds," Lincoln nods again. "What am I even supposed to do?" He leans forwards, smiling just a little at her. 

"Just keep doing what you're doing. You've been doing a good job, so far. Clarke is very, _very_ upset about this. She doesn't let prisoners do this to her, not when she can help it. You're something else, Lexa. Have you ever.." he pauses, like he's searching for the right words. "Have you ever considered taking over once Anya retires?" She feels herself shoot up, her back firmly against the chair. 

"I- what? God, no. I'm just a college student, I don't even..I- _no_?" Lincoln just nods, holding his hands up. 

"It was just a thought. You'd be very good at it," he smiles, "if you need a place to stay, feel free to tell Mbege that I said you can have my room. There are a few rooms behind the bar that some of us stay in. Ever since I moved in with Octavia, I haven't needed mine." Lexa swallows, nodding. 

"Alright. Thanks, Lincoln. Before..before I do that..what am I supposed to do? Clarke wants me to meet her at six, to like..tail her, I think."

He smiles. "Then you do just that. I doubt she's expecting you to actually show up. So long as you keep playing her games and giving her games of your own to play, something will change. Also," Lincoln stands up, moving to stand right next to her. "Keep talking to people. Especially ones who seem important. If she tries to get rid of you, it's better to have a lot of people on your side. _Her_ people. I'll see you around, Lexa. Be safe."

"Yeah. You..you too." 

She leaves the bar a few minutes after Lincoln does, silently thanking Clarke for actually giving her a sort-of tour before she ran off. Lexa gasps as she feels an arm around her neck, and, due to the fact that Anya refused to let her grow up without any method of self-defense, slams her elbow into the person's stomach. They let go, and she whirls around, taking a step back as she stares at..Raven. "Ow, fuck!" The mechanic, she thinks, hisses. "Fuck, fuck, that wasn't.. _ow!"_ She winces, glaring at her. "You weren't supposed to do that."

"Maybe don't put me in a chokehold," Lexa suggests, glaring right back. "I'm tired of being kidnapped." Raven tilts her head back, laughing. When she finally stops, she rests a hand on her hip, staring directly at Lexa.

"So, new girl. You've definitely been getting around."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Raven nods, smiling. "You trying to put Clarke in her place?"

"That's.." Lexa shakes her head. "No. That isn't..no." Raven shrugs. 

"Wouldn't care if you were or not," she shrugs again. "So long as you realize that she _will_ probably get bored of this shit soon. And she'll probably kill you when she gets bored. Or she'll have O do it, but whatever, same thing. But..you like her, don't you?"

"She kidnapped me."

"But she's your type."

"Not really, no-"

Raven holds up a hand. "I did research on you. Found your entire dating track-record. Clarke's your type, right?" Lexa shrugs. She has literally never thought about that in the five, six hours she's been in the amphitheatre. "You two should kiss. I think Clarke'd do a lot better with you with her." Lexa frowns. 

"I don't like her. Not even as a person." Raven rolls her eyes. 

"Well duh, you don't fall in love with people after like, an hour or two. But seriously. Consider it. She's not that bad of a person when you take violence and power out of the picture. She's just a stupid teenager who got fucked and caught up in gang life because she wanted a rush. You'd be good for her," for the first time since Lexa's known Raven, the woman stops grinning. "All of us are well aware of what Monty and Jasper are doing. The only one who doesn't know is Clarke. Some of us hate the way she is, some of us don't care. She's getting worse," Raven sighs, "she's getting worse, and there isn't much any of us can do to stop this anymore. But you, maybe, can. She likes a challenge, Lexa. You could leave at any point, but here you are. You care about fixing her up, don't you?" 

Lexa shrugs, looking down. "I don't think I do."

"Subconsciously, then. Either way, here you are, planning to take down the big, bad, evil gang leader, huh? She definitely needs someone who can challenge her." 

"I don't..I don't even like being around her, she's not.." Raven holds up a hand again, shaking her head. 

"Either way. Even if it isn't romantic, or," she waggles her eyebrows, "sexual, you can still make an impact. You two are meeting tomorrow around six, right?" Raven smirks. "Make an impact on her, Woods. Get us our leader back, will you?"

And then she turns and walks away, leaving Lexa in the middle of the amphitheatre, her heart beating faster than it has all day.


	7. I'm not all you had thought

"You're early."

"I can leave, if you'd like."

"I didn't say that."

"I know you didn't."

"Why are you early?" Lexa is standing in her doorway, at five in the morning. Clarke has absolutely no clue where she slept, where she went last night, or what the _hell_ happened, but there she is. Leaning against the frame, hair tossed over her shoulder. She has different clothes than she did last night, and Clarke has no idea where she got them. She's just wearing a tank-top and jeans, with dark, greenish-grey combat boots. Which are also different from the tennis shoes that she had on yesterday. Lexa doesn't even look tired, ruffled, or _upset_. She just looks bored, maybe a little annoyed. Clarke hates it. 

Lexa shrugs, licking her lips. "I figured you'd appreciate me being early. If you want me to come back at six-"

"I didn't say that," Clarke repeats, already annoyed at how this is going. "You're not cold?" 

"Not really," she's lying, Clarke can tell. It's probably just out of show at this point. She'd say the same thing. "Are you?"

"No," she crosses her arms, pausing. It's actually _really_ cold. Last she checked, it was somewhere in the negatives. "Do you want my jacket?" She shrugs said jacket off of her shoulders, deciding that she isn't taking no for an answer. 

"Didn't know you cared." Lexa quips, but she sounds, and looks, a little surprised. 

Clarke shrugs, tossing the jacket forwards. Lexa catches it, easily. She wonders if Lexa learned that from Anya. "I don't. I just don't want Anya to revoke our trade agreement." Lexa rolls her eyes, slipping on the jacket. There's a fucking knife at Clarke's throat in the next second, but it's..hilt first. Lexa's smiling at her, an eyebrow raised. 

"You forgot this."

"I was about to shoot you," Clarke informs her, taking the knife and shoving it in her belt. "You really shouldn't threaten me like that."

"It literally wasn't a threat," Lexa sighs, "I was just giving you your knife back. I don't do murder." Clarke snorts. 

"You don't.. _do_ murder, huh?" She raises an eyebrow. "Nice choice of words."

"Shut up. It isn't like you're any better with them than I am." Clarke smiles, though she's a bit confused. Why does..why does this feel _easy_? She feels like she could joke around and snark with Lexa all fucking day. And it's stupid, because this is the same woman who threatened her leadership literally less than twenty-four hours ago.

"I didn't get here by mincing words, hon."

"Didn't say that," Lexa shrugs. "But you should work on your cursing habit."

"Why the fuck would I do that?" 

"Because you sound like you're twelve?" Lexa frowns, like it's entirely obvious. "No one curses that much unless they're perpetually upset, or they're thirteen and just learned how to say shit. Are you.." she pauses, frowning even more. "Are you twelve, Clarke? You are a little short.."

Clarke glares at her, brushing past the woman. "Shut up. I'm barely- I- shut up. Height is unimportant."

"That's literally you saying that you're short," Lexa confirms, "because only short people say that height is unimportant. You're small."

"I will shoot you in the leg right now."

"I'm sure you will."

"Don't test me, Woods. I'll kill you."

Lexa just rolls her eyes, shoving her hands in Clarke's jacket. "I'm sure you will, Griffin. I don't think my sister would be that happy about it."

"If you piss me off enough, I won't care _what_ Anya thinks," Clarke has no idea how..she doesn't understand why they can talk like this. She doesn't understand how just yesterday they were quietly fuming at each other, and now they're snarking at each other, like they're old friends. Something..something just seems to _click_ with Lexa, and Clarke isn't sure how she's supposed to feel about that. "Anyways, you wanted to see how I run my gang, right?" Lexa nods, walking right next to her. The only other person who can keep up with her walking pace is _Murphy_ , and that's because he _has_ to be able to one-up her in the dumbest shit. "Alright. First, we go on rounds," she gestures to the entire area around them. "There isn't much to actually patrol until you get outside."

"This is literally an entire amphitheater, what do you _mean_ there isn't much to patrol?" Lexa questions, frowning. 

"Do you _want_ to go up all forty-eight stairs?"

"There are fifty-four."

"How would you know?"

"I counted."

"When?"

Lexa smiles. "When I made you come and find me," Clarke rolls her eyes, but nods. She's never bothered to count the stairs, actually, because why the fuck _would_ she? "Why did you kidnap me, again?" Clarke is..a little surprised by the bluntness of the question, and has to stop to turn and face Lexa. 

"Why did I..kidnap you."

"Yeah..?"

"Um," she frowns, "because you were in a place you shouldn't have been? And I didn't know if you were going to kill me or not? So I kept you in a place where you couldn't do that? And.." Clarke pauses, "I don't know. You seemed like you could have been a threat." Lexa snorts. 

"Yeah, a skinny, tired-looking college student could be a threat."

"Raven told me that you elbowed her in the stomach." Lexa just rolls her eyes, shrugging. 

"She tried to..I don't even know what she was trying to do. But I didn't feel like getting kidnapped _again_."

Clarke laughs, just a little. "You could leave, you know."

"Nah, I don't think I can," Lexa pulls her hands out of her pockets, cracking her knuckles, and shoves them back into the pockets. "Do you want me gone?" She turns to look at Clarke, one eyebrow raised. "Or are you too attached?"

"Neither," she responds, "you could leave, you could stay. I don't care."

"Are you sure?" Clarke sighs, regretting wearing only a tank-top. "You don't seem sure."

"You talk a _lot_ ," she informs Lexa, who shrugs again. "Anyways. This is the interior of the amphitheater. Raven lives over there, Bell lives that way, the bar is over there, you know the shit," Clarke starts walking, not bothering to wait for Lexa. But she doesn't _have_ to, because Lexa manages to keep up easily. Because of course she does. "Outside is a lot more interesting."

"The outside normally is more interesting," Lexa nods. "I've walked around your borders, I think. Anya took me on a trip, once."

"Interesting," Clarke presses open the wooden, makeshift gates. It isn't really that interesting. "There's a lot, so if you feel like backing out.."

"I think you want me to back out so you can prove a point," Lexa smirks. "So..no. I'd _love_ to see the exterior of your gang-hideout, oh dearest."

"Don't call me that."

"Dearest?"

"Yes."

Lexa grins, tilting her head back a little and squinting at the sun, which has barely risen. It's ridiculously foggy out, even for late November. Clarke hopes it doesn't snow anytime soon. "What would you like me to call you, then?"

"My name?" Clarke frowns, but it isn't..out of her being upset, or annoyed. She doesn't know why she feels like she can joke around with Lexa, but she just.. _does_. She honestly wonders why. "Or my last name? Pet names are for people of power, love."

"Oh, I see," Lexa nods, her head turning to face Clarke. "Whatever you say, sweetie."

"That's even worse."

"Exactly," Lexa grins a little more, and Clarke realizes that..she's actually really pretty. Well, she noticed this when she first met her. But she's even more attractive when she's just..confident. Not posturing too much, but just existing with a little bit of self-indulgence. "Anyways, are you _ever_ going to show me the outside of your hideout, or am I gonna have to ask one of the Blakes to do it?" Clarke rolls her eyes, brushing past Lexa, who stopped walking. 

"Keep up, Woods." She calls over her shoulder, smiling a little to herself. Lexa catches up, easily, and they keep walking. Clarke points out all of the important landmarks, like trade agreement spots, borders, a few empty apartment complexes that they have to themselves. She points out how far the borders go, and where Trikru and Skaikru meet. She shows Lexa where a lot of trades happen, and where agreements, treaties, and other deals happen. Mostly in metros or abandoned apartments, but Lexa still pays vivid attention. It's almost like she actually cares about how Clarke runs her gang, which is..odd, to say the least. But Clarke finds that she doesn't really mind it, if Lexa tries to watch how things happen in Skaikru. They start to walk back, passing quips, snark, and insults back and forth with each other, like they do it all the time. When they get back to that stupid, wooden gate, Clarke's hand hovers just a little. She isn't..she doesn't know why, but she feels like as soon as she goes back in there, this is going to stop. That as soon as she goes back into their hideout, she's going to have to stop this not-game with Lexa. 

"You good there, Griff?" Of _course_ Lexa notices. 

Clarke sighs, pulling her hand back. "It's early."

"It is." Lexa agrees.

"Let's stay out for a little bit." Lexa frowns. 

"Why?" Clarke shrugs, turning to face her. 

"Why _not_?" She beams. "Do you _really_ want to go back in there and have Raven and O bombard you with questions? Because Raven is _going_ to ask if we fucked, and she will _not_ let it go. And if Octavia hears that we "had sex"," she makes the air quotes, just so Lexa doesn't get the wrong idea, "then she's going to get in on it, and _she'll_ never shut up about it. Raven and O are an unstoppable team when it comes to mocking and embarrassment, so really, I'm just looking out for you here." Clarke finishes with a grin, watching Lexa roll her eyes. 

"Alright," the woman shrugs, "it doesn't matter to me. Where do you wanna head out to?"

Clarke pauses. She, admittedly, didn't think that far ahead. "Let's chill at Perkins, or something. They have good food."

"Wow, the overlord of the underworld _doesn't_ eat babies for breakfast?" Lexa's eyebrows shoot up, her mouth quirking into a grin. "Shocking." Clarke sighs.

"You've known me for less than a day."

"Yeah, and in that day you were pissed at me for a solid seven hours," Lexa laughs. "And now we're here, going on a date."

Clarke frowns, her nose scrunching up involuntarily. "It isn't a date."

"You're taking me to a semi-fancy breakfast place."

"Perkins isn't fancy."

"Clarke, hon, I'm a poor college student. _Wal-Mart_ is fancy to me." Clarke laughs, shaking her head. 

"Whatever, Lexa. It isn't a date."

Lexa just grins. "Whatever you say." 

And with that, they start walking again, snarking at each other the entire way to the restaurant. 


	8. Would you go and do it all over again, given the chance?

"What are you gonna order?"

"No clue. I'm still shocked that they're open this early."

"It's eight."

"Barely," Lexa wiggles her phone in Clarke's face, smiling. "I think the rainbow pancakes sound _great_." Clarke scoffs, rolling her eyes. She's done a lot of that, rolling her eyes, in the past three-ish hours they've been out together. Which..still feels weird to think about. Lexa knows that this is probably a game, but she can't help but feel.. _okay_ with this. Clarke doesn't seem _god-awful_. Sure, she's a stuck-up prick, but she isn't a complete warlord. Plus, she doesn't look the part, either. Anya looks like she could kick anyone's ass, but Clarke..she just looks like a tired woman who needs more sleep. But Lexa knows that looks can be deceiving, and that she shouldn't let Clarke get the better of her. But _god_ , it's _hard_ , especially when this..gang leader is sitting in front of her, complaining about the lack of salads on the menu. 

Clarke tilts her head back, groaning _way_ too loud. "Caesar salad? Really? That's fucking it? Oh my god. Come on, we're leaving." Lexa snorts, shaking her head. 

"Just get the blueberry waffles."

"Why the hell would I do that?" She looks genuinely concerned. "Those are disgusting. Have you ever _been_ to Perkins?" Lexa blinks at her. She spreads out her arms, waving them once to emphasize that yes, she is currently _in_ a Perkins. "You know what I mean, smartass." 

Lexa grins, nodding. "Believe it or not, I was not _always_ a poor college student. Also, the rainbow pancakes are amazing. Just get what I'm getting, they're good. Or the powdered waffles. Ooh, funnel cake. Get the funnel cake." Clarke sighs, leaning back on the booth that they got. 

"Funnel cake is..gross." Her eyes flick up to Lexa, before they go back down to the menu. Lexa raises an eyebrow, wondering if she's done that without her noticing.

"You're gross," she responds on instinct. "I'm getting the funnel cake, and you're going to eat some of it." Clarke sighs again, stretching even more. 

"Awfully demanding."

"I don't care, funnel cake is amazing," Lexa glares at the woman in front of her. "I literally do not care. You are _going_ to eat the funnel cake I provide for you." Clarke laughs, and Lexa can feel herself smile. Clarke is actually really pretty when she smiles and laughs for real. When she's posturing, no, but when she's actually allowing herself to loosen up..yeah. Lexa resists the urge to sigh, because maybe Raven was right. She doesn't.. _really_ like Clarke. Probably. It's just looks, nothing else. Maybe if Clarke was a slightly more decent human and was less power-hungry, it'd be different. Maybe it _can_ be different, but definitely not right now. Clarke just seems like a dumb teenager who got roped into a gang. Well, if Monty and Jasper are right, Clarke wanted to be in the gang. But still. 

"Wait. The..the rainbow pancakes aren't on the menu," Lexa has to look down, hiding a small, _small_ smile. "Did..are you ordering off of the kid's menu?"

"So what if I am?" She challenges, grinning up at Clarke. "Are you going to do anything about it?"

"No, because.." Clarke narrows her eyes. "Where did you get a kid's menu? That wasn't on the table," Lexa waves a hand, shrugging. "Did you..did you steal that from someone?"

Lexa snorts. "Clarke, I took it off of the table in front of us," she points to the empty table. "You really didn't notice?" Clarke flushes a little, which makes Lexa kind of confused. "Wow. The overlord of the underworld really is having an off day."

"I could kill you." Clarke reminds her. 

"I'm sure you could," Lexa offers a smile and a pat on the arm. "We should probably decide food. I'm getting waffle sticks."

"But you said you were getting the rainbow pancakes."

"I changed my mind."

"In three seconds?" Lexa blinks at her. 

"Yes. That does tend to happen, Clarke," she informs her. "Am I not allowed to change my mind in your presence?"

Clarke sighs, rolls her eyes. "When did you get so bold?" Lexa smiles at her, waves her hand again. 

"Probably sometime around the..thirty minute mark of you kidnapping me," she shrugs. "What are you getting?" Clarke's eyes very obviously dart down to the open menu in her hands, her brows furrowing a little. 

"The strawberry crepe platter." Her eyes flick back up to Lexa, who frowns. 

"That looks disgusting. It looks like a burrito with strawberries and cream cheese on top of it. Wow. That's really what you're gonna get?" Clarke glares at her, flipping her off from behind the menu. "I'm just saying!" Lexa laughs, rolling her eyes. "It looks so bad. You're probably gonna get food poisoning."

"Hopefully I die from it," she starts, "so I can finally stop listening to you judge me for every single thing I do." Lexa rolls her eyes again. 

"Never gonna happen, Griffin," she grins. "Plus, _you're_ the one who kidnapped _me_. This is all your fault, technically."

"Worst mistake of my life," she grumbles. "Hey, we're ready to order," she looks over at the waitress, who politely stops. Lexa sighs, wondering if Clarke has ever heard of manners. "I'm getting the strawberry crepe platter, and you're getting the.."

"Waffle sticks," Lexa beams. "And also a chocolate milk, please and thank you."

"Oh, yeah," Clarke sighs. "Just..coffee. I don't care what kind."

The waitress nods, dipping her head. "Of course. Let me take those for you," she scoops up all of the menus. "Your drinks will be out shortly." She promises, before she disappears. Clarke sighs again, stretching back. Lexa raises an eyebrow at her, leaning back against her booth. 

"You need a lesson in politeness and manners."

"You really should stop telling me what to do," Clarke points out. "I don't like that."

Lexa rolls her eyes. "Bold of you to assume that I care."

"Seriously, when _did_ you get so bold?"

"Like I said," she shrugs, "somewhere around the thirty minute mark. Oh, I don't like Raven. Pass that on." Clarke snorts, glancing towards their waitress. Lexa feels..weird. She knows that she shouldn't, and that this is probably a test, but she still feels weird. Everything feels natural, and if she forgets Clarke's past, this almost feels like a.. _date_. Which it absolutely isn't, but it almost feels like that. Clarke doesn't seem as bad as she was a day ago, and Lexa wonders if she's just acting. She isn't sure, which she really, really doesn't like. Clarke isn't the big bad gang leader right now. She just seems like a tired young adult with small anger issues. And that's it. Lexa isn't sure if she likes that or not, or if it's just..what Clarke's really like. She doesn't think Clarke would be different around her and only her, but she honestly hasn't known her long enough to actually decide that. 

"Hey," Clarke flicks her arm. "Food's here. What the hell were you thinking about so hard?" Lexa blinks, staring at the waffle sticks in front of her. 

"Oh. Sorry, I guess I just..spaced out a bit. It's been a long two days," Clarke shrugs, looking away. "Again, why me?"

"What?"

"Why me? Why didn't you just like..knock me out or something, or call Anya. Why'd you kidnap me?" Clarke shrugs again, not meeting Lexa's eyes. Lexa's kind of annoyed with that, but it isn't like she's probably gonna get much else. 

"I already told you," she sighs. "I don't know. You just seemed like you could have been a threat, and I didn't want to..risk it."

"Sure." 

Clarke glares at her. "That's my honest answer. That's the best you're gonna get, okay, Woods?" She huffs, looking away. Lexa wonders if she just accidentally pissed a gang leader off, but it doesn't seem like it. The only time she's seen Clarke pissed was at the top of the amphitheatre, which was definitely _rage_. "Did Anya really send you there alone?" Lexa nods. 

"Yeah. I never really wanted to be apart of the gang, but I'm her little sister. It was just kind of expected of me, so I did it. Look where that ended up getting me, huh?" Lexa laughs. "How're the crepes?" Clarke shrugs, sighing. 

"They're too sweet. Here," she stabs a piece, holding it out for Lexa. When Lexa raises an eyebrow at her, she sighs. Lexa kind of thinks it's cute. "I'm not gonna stab you, or whatever. Just fucking eat it." Lexa laughs, but she leans forwards, taking the crepe off of the fork. She wrinkles her nose, shaking her head. 

"Ew. Yeah, no, that's..way too sweet. Ew. Here," she scoops a bit of her waffle sticks onto a fork. "I'm also not going to stab you, don't worry." Clarke scoffs, leaning forwards. 

"That's..actually kind of good."

Lexa rolls her eyes. "Here," she scrapes off two sticks onto Clarke's plate. "Just so you actually eat something." Clarke looks at her for a while, and Lexa isn't exactly sure why, or what that emotion is. She just hopes that she isn't about to die, or something. 

"Thanks."

"Yeah," she shrugs. "Not a big deal." Lexa doesn't say anything else, and neither does Clarke. They just both sit there in silence, and Lexa isn't really sure if she likes that too much. When they're both done, Clarke gets up and vaguely motions for Lexa to do the same. She pays the bill, before stalking out of the Perkins, Lexa trailing behind her. Something's happened, but Lexa isn't exactly sure what. She hopes that it's something good, but there's a pit of worry in her stomach that she just messed something up entirely. 


	9. Sometimes you gotta bleed to know that you're alive (and have a soul)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what up losers, it's me, ya boi. i'm here to let you know that i'd love to do some requests that any of you have related to the 100! feel free to comment here or dm me over discord (Depends#3329), with a pairing/prompt! anyways that's it you have fun reading this chapter (;

Clarke is _so_ fucking confused.

Which is mostly just pissing her off, but she's fucking confused and she hates it. She doesn't..she doesn't _understand_ Lexa, not even in the slightest. She thought that she did, and then she opened her fucking mouth, and now she has no clue who the fuck Lexa actually is. Especially after the fucking crepe bullshit, which should have never happened. Why wouldn't Lexa just..rub it in, or something? Make fun of her, say that she told her so, _anything_. She wasn't supposed to just..give Clarke some of her stupid waffle sticks, or whatever the hell they were. No one in their right mind would do that. Who the hell would pass up the opportunity to just..mock Clarke, even for a couple of minutes? Even if it was stupid and petty and just _dumb_ , who wouldn't? Clarke would. If Lexa had done what she had done, Clarke wouldn't have let her lived it down. She wouldn't have offered her food, because why _would_ she? People don't _do_ things like that. The people Clarke has always been around would never have. Even if Clarke made them give her some of their food or something, they'd still mock her. And Clarke would do the exact same thing, so why the fuck didn't _Lexa_? Why _wouldn't_ she? Clarke literally took her away from her home, kidnapped her, whatever she wants to call it. She uprooted Lexa's life entirely, so why the hell isn't she..retaliating? Why hasn't she been taking the chances to mock Clarke, to belittle her, to tell her off? What's _wrong_ with her?

Clarke does't _understand_ , and she hates that. She hates it so much, she just wants to scream or punch something or someone, because what the _fuck_? She's never been this confused in her entire life, and it's just pissing her off so much, but..she just..Clarke doesn't _get it_. And clearly Lexa doesn't, either, because she's just been calm the entire time, completely unaware of what she's done. Clarke bets that she doesn't even _know_ what she did, or the impact, or any of it, because Clarke doesn't fucking know either. All she knows is that she's confused and pissed, which just stems from the confusion. She doesn't even know how to start beginning to understand Lexa, and she doesn't even know _why_ she wants to. Why she wants to get to know her, to talk to her, to spend more time with her, Clarke doesn't _fucking know,_ and she hates it so much. It doesn't help that Lexa is just being Lexa, talking about some stupid fucking course she was taking in college or something. She _has_ to know that Clarke isn't playing any attention to her, she _has_ to. Clarke..she just wants to fucking understand why she's feeling like this. Why she wants to talk to Lexa more. Why she's not feeling like she was a day ago. What _happened_ to her? No..what's _happening_ to her? Something's happening, and she doesn't know what it is, which just pisses her off even more. 

"Like I was saying," Lexa clears her throat, nudging Clarke with her shoulder. Clarke barely realizes that Lexa still has her jacket on. She should..she doesn't know what she wants to do about that. "We're here. What've you been thinking about so hard?" She tilts her head a little, that stupid lopsided smile on her face. Clarke..Clarke wants to kiss her. Clarke wants to kiss her, she wants to destroy her, make Lexa hers, _ruin_ her completely. Clarke wants to kiss her so fucking badly, and she doesn't _get it_. She doesn't understand why she just.. _isn't_. Clarke can take whatever the fuck she wants, make it hers. She doesn't care who or what she wants, she won't hesitate to grab it, get a hold of it, make sure she just.. _has_ it. She does what she wants, when she wants to, and it..it doesn't make _sense_ that she just..isn't kissing Lexa. She could. She knows that she could so easily grab her by the face and kiss her and what the fuck would Lexa do about it? And then, Clarke realizes, she doesn't..she doesn't want to do that. She doesn't want to not give Lexa a choice. She doesn't want to force something like that on her, and she doesn't fucking understand _why_ , because she's never cared about that before. She wants to kiss her so badly, but she doesn't want to make Lexa kiss her back. And she doesn't..she doesn't understand it. She doesn't know why, and she is so pissed and confused and it just _sucks_. 

"Yeah," Clarke swallows, closing her eyes. She doesn't want to go back. Once she goes back inside, Lexa goes away, too. She goes and'll hide out wherever the fuck she hides out, and Clarke won't be able to talk to her. Or see her, or just be around her in general. She doesn't want to go back inside and take the risk that this will never happen again. "It's only ten."

"We just ate breakfast," Lexa laughs, and Clarke wants to just lean over and kiss her. Not even hard anymore, just softly, gently..just..nicely. "We can't go and eat lunch right after breakfast. Give it like, two, three hours."

"We're going to a Chinese place at two," Clarke decides. "Or wherever you want."

Lexa raises an eyebrow at her, that stupid fucking smile just turning upwards even more. "Alright. I see you're taking me on another date, Griffin. Still shocked that the overboss of the underworld doesn't, y'know," Lexa grins, "eats babies for her three main courses. Am I allowed to go inside now, or.." she trails off, motioning to the gates, which are closed. Clarke wants to say no. She wants to say no, wants to tell Lexa that she needs to stay out here, even though she has no fucking reason to. "Clarke?" Lexa leans in a little, her grin not as present anymore. "You alright? Like, seriously. You look kinda sick." Clarke turns away, wanting to fucking punch herself for being so stupid. Of course Lexa would fucking notice. She notices everything. 

"I'm fine," she sighs. "I'm just..I don't want to go back inside," she looks up. "I don't want to go back inside and deal with territories and stupid shit like that. I'm just annoyed that I don't get a lot of breaks." Clarke..Clarke doesn't really believe any of that. She doesn't really think any of that is true. Dealing with territories sucks, but it's whatever. She knew fully well that she wouldn't be getting breaks when she came into the position she's in right now. Clarke mostly just..doesn't want to go inside because then Lexa is gone. Not for forever, fuck, she'll still be in the fucking amphitheatre, it's not like she's going to go anywhere. But it's just the stupid thought that whatever happened at breakfast is just..never going to happen again. And Clarke doesn't understand _why_ she's so desperate for it to not go away. Clarke wants to kiss her, she still wants to. Her heart is slamming in her chest, her head's spinning, everything is just _burning_ , and she wants to kiss Lexa. Her head isn't even spinning anymore, it's mostly just hurting. She doesn't understand why she feels like this. Why she wants to kiss her, why she doesn't want to fucking ruin her entirely, why she doesn't want to mark her, or claim her. Clarke just wants to kiss her. Not even fucking hard or anything..just gently. She wants to lean in and wrap her arms around her and _kiss her_. 

"Then don't," Lexa frowns. "Aren't you their leader? Are you going to go kill someone, or do some gang stuff right now?" Clarke shakes her head. "Then just..don't go inside? They can wait, right? If you don't have anything going on, just take a walk or something," Lexa pauses. "But consider what your gang wants. I don't think they need you there just for you to "prove" that you're still there. It's not like they're going to burn the amphitheatre down or something. They can survive a couple of hours without you," Clarke opens her mouth a little, wanting to protest, but..Lexa..she's not _wrong_. It's not like they're fucking idiots. They know what they're doing. They'll be fine for a few hours, and it..maybe Clarke doesn't have to be there, just to be there. "You trust them, right?"

"Of course I do." Clarke scowls a little. 

"Then..there's no issue. If you guys can all mutually trust each other, I don't see a problem. If you let them leave, you can leave to. Just don't be a dick, and it'll be fine," Lexa shrugs. "Trikru follows Anya because she's not bad to them. She doesn't do things that could endanger them without a group vote. She's not a dictator, you know? She's just there to keep order, to make important decisions, and to actually give them a sense of purpose. It's their gang as much as it is hers." Clarke swallows, blinking a bit. Anya..Anya rules with an iron fist. Lexa is lying to her. Lexa is lying to her, but she..is she trying to fucking..tell Clarke something? Is she trying to say something about the way Clarke rules? Clarke wants to confront her about that, make sure she knows her fucking place in this gang, but she..she realizes. Lexa isn't in her gang, and she's noticed how Clarke rules. She isn't with her, and she's..she's telling her how to be a better leader. Clarke doesn't..she doesn't make her gang do things they don't want to. Bellamy could tell her no if he wanted to. Clarke frowns, because _no he can't_. She..she's pretty sure that Bell is afraid of her. He hasn't..he hasn't really ever told her no. He's suggested not to, but he's never outwardly said no to her. And neither has Raven, or anyone else, and that..that's not..that isn't good. That's not right, it can't be. When her mom was in charge, no one had a problem telling her no, but they rarely did, because Abby was a good leader. She was smart and considerate and knew what her gang needed. 

Clarke..Clarke isn't sure if she's the same. She thought that she was. She thought she was the same as her mom, because no one ever told her no. She thought she was doing everything right. But maybe..maybe she isn't. Maybe she's not. Getting involved with the Mountain wasn't the best idea. Her mom never dealt with them, and Clarke thought that it would be better for everyone if she just got rid of the threat entirely. She never asked anyone, Clarke just decided it and everyone kind of just..agreed. But they didn't say yes. They didn't say yes to it, they just agreed with her because they..because they had to. Did they have to? Clarke doesn't know, everything is so fucking confusing now and she's just..nothing makes sense. "I don't.." she swallows, her eyes squeezed shut. Everything is spinning a little. "We should talk." She looks back up, sees Lexa staring at her. She barely even realizes that Lexa doesn't..she doesn't have her jacket on anymore. Her jacket is back on herself, and she feels warmer. A little more calm. 

"Sure," Lexa nods. "Sure, that's..yeah. Are you okay? You kind of just..restarted yourself, I think." 

Clarke swallows again, feeling her hands shaking just a bit. "Yeah, yeah, I..I'm okay. I just..we really need to talk. Come with me." Clarke doesn't wait for a response, she just starts walking again, not entering the amphitheatre. There's no way in hell she's letting anything go, not today. Clarke knows that something important is happening, and even if she doesn't really understand, she's going to figure out what she can.

No matter what. 


	10. All this emotion that we're buried in, tied up, fired up on this adrenaline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (;

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"Clarke, seriously. What..what's up with you?"

"Just..keep walking." Lexa isn't quite sure how breakfast turned out to go terribly wrong, but it did, clearly. Clarke looks pissed, and has barely said a word to her this entire walk. They got to the amphitheatre just fine, and then she just..stopped talking. She didn't even really look at her either, just mostly said nothing and stared at the ground. Lexa doesn't really understand what she said, or _did_ , but something happened. Even in the day or so that she's known Clarke, Lexa hasn't seen her like _this_. Not even at the top of the amphitheatre, that was mostly annoyance, rage, and something else. This is just _pissed off_ , and she isn't really sure what to do about that. Especially when Clarke won't even talk to her. Lexa's entire existence in Skaikru depends on how much Clarke decides that she likes her, and how much she decides that she likes the game both of them are playing. Lexa's already lied once to her, and she isn't sure if Clarke was able to tell, or knew that Lexa lied. She just..she really hopes that she doesn't decide to just murder her, or something. Clarke doesn't seem like the kind of person to just shoot someone in an alleyway, but Lexa isn't sure. She hopes that she isn't that type of person, but she already put her life on the line when she accepted Clarke's challenge to stay in Skaikru. She doesn't even know _why_ for sure, but she did. Maybe it was for a rush, she always used to be _such_ an adrenaline junkie before she tried to settle down and focus on college. 

Clarke keeps walking, eyes downcast to the ground. Lexa trails behind, just hoping that she didn't clock Clarke wrong. She doesn't think Clarke'll shoot her or stab her or just murder her, but she could be wrong. Lexa shakes her head, biting down on her lip as she keeps following. Clarke suddenly stops, and Lexa nearly runs straight into her. "Are we..are you good?" Clarke sighs, turning around with her eyes closed. 

"You're making me go fucking insane," she tells her, eyes flickering open. "I don't know what the fuck you did to me, but you.." Clarke shakes her head, pressing her fingers against her temples. "You did something. I.." Lexa breathes in, shifting a little bit. And then Clarke's right in front of her, lips on hers, and _oh_. Oh, Clarke is..she's kissing her. Lexa closes her eyes for a second, leaning in, and..why is she letting Clarke do this? Lexa isn't sure, but she also isn't sure if she wants Clarke to _stop_. No, she doesn't want her to stop, and she's not quite sure why. Lexa shifts forwards, head pressed against Clarke's. She isn't sure how much time passes, but Clarke eventually pulls back, she eventually stops. "Fuck." She whispers, her eyes screwed shut. 

"I was pretty sure you wanted me dead." Lexa jokes, her heart hammering in her chest. Clarke groans, shaking her head.

"No, fuck, I didn't..I shouldn't have fucking.." she sighs. "Fuck."

"Hey," Lexa takes a step closer, hand reaching out to push Clarke's head up, just a bit. "I didn't..I didn't stop you," she murmurs, before she leans in, kissing Clarke as gently as she can. "I didn't say no." Lexa pulls back, though her hand's still on Clarke's face. The gang leader looks at her, and Lexa's pretty sure she sees her _blush_ , which isn't as surprising as it would have been a few minutes ago. 

Clarke nods, biting down on her lip. "What do you want?"

"Like..relationship wise?" Clarke nods. "Well, you kidnapped me," Lexa smiles. "That's not a good pickup line."

"It wasn't.." 

"That was a joke," she informs her. "Don't worry, I'm sure your pickup lines are great, that one just flopped a bit," Lexa laughs. "Well, we just met, Clarke. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like you." Lexa isn't lying, and she's not sure why. Clarke shouldn't be attractive to her, not even physically. But Lexa doesn't _care_ , it's not like she's betraying herself or something by admitting that Clarke is cute, and that she probably wants to kiss her more often. 

"Yeah," Clarke sighs, turning her head away. "Yeah, that..makes sense. I didn't mean to ask you out, I was just wondering where you thought we stood," she reassures Lexa, who doesn't need the reassurance. "It's been a long time." 

"Same for me," Lexa smiles. "I was focused on college."

"Skaikru," Clarke spreads out her arms, gesturing to the amphitheatre down the alleyway. "Skaikru kept me..busy, I guess. I.." she shakes her head. "I know I'm not fucking likable and I get it," she meets Lexa's eyes. "I get what you're trying to do. I figured it out at breakfast."

Lexa raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're trying to get me to like," Clarke sighs, "reform, or something like that. I don't know exactly, but I know you're trying to do _something_. Fucking..reform? Make me a better person?" Lexa smiles.

"A better leader, and a better person."

"Someone in my gang set you up to do that," she breathes in, sharp and loud. "People recognize it, then. That I'm a shitty fucking person."

"Not really," Lexa offers. "They..people want the best for you. And leading your gang into a war that wasn't even yours to fight risked them all. You don't ask them for opinions-"

"Gangs have _leaders_ , Lexa," Clarke scoffs. "If I asked them every time I wanted to do something, I wouldn't be leader for very long." Lexa sighs. 

"Exactly like that. You're set in a mindset or something," she waves a hand. "Just because you're important and in charge doesn't mean you get to call all the shots. If my sister just started to tell people that they _had_ to do something no matter what, they wouldn't stand for it. Your people should respect you, but they shouldn't have to be afraid to speak out against you," Lexa shakes her head. "It's a balance, or something like that. A lot of those people are your _friends_ , Clarke. Why're you so insecure about it? And," she adds on, "if they just left, you would be out of a gang and out of your life. Just because you lead doesn't mean they can't end that."

Clarke's quiet for a really long time, but Lexa watches as she nods. "I..okay. Okay, fuck, yeah. I get that, you're not..you aren't wrong. Is that why you stayed?" Lexa shrugs, ducking her head. 

"I don't know why I stayed. I think I thought of it as a challenge," she admits. "And then I just..I got invested and interested, and we're..here." Clarke nods, hands in her jacket pockets. 

"Alright. I'm not just gonna..I can't just become a different person overnight," she sighs. "But I'll talk to Bell and Raven. I..they can help keep me in line. And you, too," Clarke looks up at her. "You're still invested, right?" Lexa smiles.

"Yeah. I want to talk to my sister at some point."

"Okay," Clarke nods slowly. "I'm not going to say that I'm sorry."

Lexa leans back, rolling her eyes. "That's fine. Sorry isn't always the first step. Just don't be a dick, and we'll be good," she beams. "Are we gonna talk about the.." Clarke frowns, taking a step forwards. She sighs when she's closer to Lexa, but she nods.

"We'll have to. I don't do casual." 

"Neither do I," Lexa assures her. "For clarity for both of us," she starts, "we aren't dating. We kissed, twice. We both liked it and want to do it again, but we're not sure." Clarke nods. 

"Yeah, that..that works. I'm going to kiss you again." And she does, Clarke just leans in and kisses her, slowly and gently like they've been dating for years. Lexa kisses her back, letting herself close her eyes as she tries to think about this last time she did something like this. It's been _years_. She's been so engrossed in her schoolwork, trying to get away from her gang ties, just..trying to make herself better. 

But now, she's sliding right back into gang life, and this time, it's not even with her own sister. Lexa doesn't even know why it's so tempting to her, why Clarke's making it tempting, but..all she knows is that it's happening, and she isn't sure if she wants to stop this time.


End file.
